Olivia Grégoire, France’s Minister Delegate for Enterprise, Tourism and Consumer Affairs, announced the selection of finalists for the “France Tourisme Tech” program. The program, established in 2023 as part of the “Destination France” plan, supports travel tech startups.
According to a press release issued by the Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, in the second year of the call for expressions of interest for “Tourist innovation and experimental fields,” 19 entities applied for 81 experimentation projects. In the final decision made by a selection committee in March, 16 were selected. The winners included two entities from overseas (La Réunion and Martinique). The press release noted that eight of the 16 had been selected last year and reapplied in 2024 to propose the deployment of new projects.
A total of 37 high-impact projects were selected, qualifying them for grants of up to €20,000 and support for one year. Project themes include water management, preservation of biodiversity, cultural valorization, enrichment of visit routes via digital means, improving the management of attendance flows and peaks, proximity enhancements, and bolstering accessibility.
In its first year, the program garnered 157 applications from French start-ups. From this applicant pool, 15 companies were selected based on emerging technologies with tourism applications. These technologies include data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), digital platforms, among others.
In addition to grants, the companies selected for the France Tourisme Tech program receive numerous benefits. For instance, they can participate in major regional and national events and visits by major partner groups of the program. These partners include approximately 40 large groups, investors, and institutions; meet with foreign decision-makers in the tourism space; and attend professional webinars.
